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Supreme Court Puts End to California Union Fees Case t.co/gxiCNZQlS5 The high-profile……………………………………………………… t.co/u2uvtl6oFo (via Twitter twitter.com/LawsuitInfoCent/status/748009890866659328)
Supreme Court Puts End to California Union Fees Case t.co/gxiCNZQlS5 The high-profile……………… t.co/hLF7VIzJiY (via Twitter twitter.com/LawsuitInfoCent/status/747933765108826112)
We've put together these pictures as supplementary images for Art Adventure Picture People to use in their classroom presentations, either with the MIA-provided posters or by themselves. The images are optimized for common classroom projectors and white boards - download the largest size of each image for best results.
Gerrit van Honthorst, The Denial of Saint Peter, 1623
More about this Artwork collections.artsmia.org/index.php?page=detail&id=1886
More about Art Adventure www.artsmia.org/index.php?section_id=117
With the remaining Decepticon forces splintered, General Strika enacted a contingency plan put in place by Megatron. Carrying a back up of the deposed leader’s core consciousness, Quickstrike tracked down Blackarachnia and presented her with a proposition: create a powerful new body for the resurrected Megatron and raise a technorganic army for him to lead, and he would use his ship to rescue the spider from her primitive exile. Ostensibly agreeing, Blackarachnia had no intention of giving up control of the growing Predacon forces. Using designs conceived by Megatron himself while on Earth, she crafted a suitable form, but put a shell program in place severely limiting the new Megatron’s intelligence and instilling unquestioning loyalty to her.
Unbeknownst to the technorganic queen, Megatron’s core consciousness was able to override the shell program almost immediately. Dubbing himself Galvatron and declaring himself superior to his predecessor, he chose to bide his time, pretending to be a simpleminded buffoon while subtly manipulating events to suit his purpose. With all of the cunning and charisma of the original Megatron coupled with a technorganic’s instinct and a flair for the dramatic solely his own, that purpose may well spell doom for the entire galaxy.
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Props so massive they have their own gravity go out to Nemesis Predaking for not only pioneering this mod, but posting a video explaining it in detail here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJE3TiOZgvw . The short version is that magnets allow me to attach either a regular hand or the T-rex head to his right wrist, while the latter can still store on his back.
I shot these flowers in my window right in front of the window glass. I put a diffuser (you could use a transparent white sheet instead) in front of the window, so the flowers would have the diffuser as backdrop.
Then I shot at aperture 1.4 and shutter speed 1/60. The whiteness was overexposed but the flowers were perfect.
I actually didn´t think I was going to do anything special with this image, other than give it some small adjustments with exposure, contrast and color. But I was wrong haha. I copied the flowers into several layers and put them in different places in a square frame. I felt my heart beat faster as I continued to blend the flowers and composite the image as I liked.
When I was happy with the composition I painted both green and yellow in the picture and put these layers on blending mode color burn. I also adjusted the colors and worked with vibrance/saturation. In the end I liked this image a lot more that I thought I would. It has a painterly feel to it that I absolutely love.
You can see a before-image of this edit over on my website/blog:
This morning I wanted to put some La vache qui rit (The Laughing Cow) cheese spread on my toast, but, having a look in the fridge, there was only Philadelphia; which mrs forms uses to make cheesecake. I'm not keen on this stuff; the name always reminds me of that crap Tom Hanks / Antonio Banderas film as well as that dreadful Bruce Springsteen song on the soundtrack to it. A song that won a 'Best Original Song' Oscar no less! I was rooting for Neil Young's 'Philadelphia' in the same category that year. Not that his song was any less appalling than Springsteen's but I like Young so much more than 'the Boss.' Anyhow, to change the subject, more or less; there's an ad on TV here for Philadelphia (the cheese) that features one time starlet, and now middle-aged actress, Mathilda May sticking a knob (no filthy jokes here, please) of it in her mouth and exclaiming: 'Oh My gosh!' as if she were in orgasmic rapture. I don't know what it was she stuck in her mouth but I'm sure it wasn't Philadelphia.
I didn't enjoy my toast.
Alat Es Puter.
Es puter Manual.
Alat Pembuat Es puter
MESIN ES PUTER - ALAT ES PUTER MANUAL - PELUANG USAHA ES PUTAR
Es puter adalah sejenis es krim, dengan bahan baku utama santan yang biasa disajikan dalam aneka ragam bentuk (di gelas, cone, piring kecil, dll). Es puter kini juga banyak disajikan sebagai makanan pelengkap di pesta-pesta. Selain disajikan langsung, es puter juga bisa di kemas dalam cup, disimpan dalam freezer. Pemasaran produk es puter bisa dijual di Cafe, restoran, Toko Kue, Kantin Sekolah, dijajakan Keliling, dll.
Bisnis es puter kini menjadi bisnis yang cukup banyak peminatnya. Hal ini berdasarkan data penjualan mesin kami, bahwa mesin es puter & es krim adalah salah satu mesin paling laris diantara mesin bisnis lainnya, Mesinnya handal dan mudah perawatannya. Puluhan mesin es puter & es krim telah kami kirimkan ke berbagai kota di Indonesia mulai dari Medan, Pekan Baru, Riau, Metro, Lampung, Banda Aceh, Padang, Pontianak, Balikpapan, Makasar, Jakarta, Tangerang, Bandung, Pati, Gresik, Mataram, dan Paling Jauh Papua...dll.
Peluang usaha es puter terbuka lebar. Sebagaimana soft ice cream, es puter sangat disukai oleh banyak kalangan. Dan sangat cocok untuk iklim Indonesia. Pembuatan es puter sangat mudah, cost produksi rendah & investasi awalnya tidak terlalu besar. Tristar Machinery menjual aneka mesin & alat es putar. Mulai dari yang manual, hingga mesin es puter dengan tenaga listrik. Pengelolaan bisnis es puter ini juga sangat gampang.
Tristar Machinery
Jl. Rungkut Mapan Utara Blok CA 24
Surabaya
Telp: 031-8708071
Fax: 031-8722794
Contact Person:
Rosa - 088803211729
Ali - (031) 77213905
Tofa - (031) 60350888
Dewi - 08883203340 - 085854833381
Lutfiana - Flexi (031) 71933131
Jakarta: 021-70288024 – 081807492676 - 081905686676.
Kompleks Dutamas Blok A2 no.12A.
Contact Person : Susanto : 08888409474
Kami menyediakan mesin mesin untuk Home Industry, antara lain:
Mesin Cetak Bakso
Mesin Ice Cream
Mesin Presto Industry
Mesin Bandeng Asap
Mesin Sosis
Mesin Pengemas
Mixer Bakery
Oven untuk Produksi Roti
Profer
Mesin Peras Tebu, dll
On Saturday, August 24, about 300 people attended the Pride Parade and Rally put on by NW PA Pride Alliance.
Delta Foundation sent up a bus from Pittsburgh with about 40 people, who marched as a parade unit. Parade units included Erie Gay News, NW PA Pride Alliance, Erie Sisters, Community United Church, Pennsylvania Student Equality Coalition, Amisha Tribal Belly Dance, Greater Erie Alliance for Equality (GEAE), Delta Foundation, Marriage Equality for Pennsylvania, PFLAG Erie and Crawford Counties, Persad Center and LBT Women. There were about 170 people in the parade.
The rally was emceed by Mark Tanenbaum of PACA. Speakers and performers at the rally included Michael Mahler for NW PA Pride Alliance, drag performers Lovin' Heart and Eva Destruction, Ted Martin of Equality PA, singer/guitarist Bob Bearfield, Caitlyn Strohmeyer of TransFamily of Erie Support Group and GEAE, drag performer Velvet Lace, PFLAG Erie and Crawford Counties President Jayne May, Amisha Tribal Dance. Leann Romitti of Persad Center‘s REAL TIME LGBTQ youth suicide's prevention program, drag perfomer Cammy Seoul, Kim Conti of LBT Women of Erie and drag performer Misty Kall.
Info tables and vendors included American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), NWPA Chapter, Cocktails and Cream Puffs, Community Health Net, Community United Church, Equality PA, Erie County Human Relations Commission, Erie County Suicide Prevention Task Force, Erie Sisters, Erie Summer Festival of the Arts, Greater Erie Alliance for Equality (GEAE), Keystone Progress, Lake Erie Counseling Associates, Marriage Equality for Pennsylvania, National Organization for Women, NWPA Chapter (NWPANOW), Northstar Equine Foundation, Northwestern Mutual, Pennsylvania Student Equality Coalition, Persad Center, PFLAG Erie and Crawford Counties, Safe Harbor Behavioral Health, SafeNet Center, Steadman Law Office, TransFamily of Erie Support Group; Just Pride, Lion's Den Adult Super Store, and Rainbow Creations
NW PA Pride Alliance also gave away goodie bags to registrants. We collected 30 pounds of food for the Second Harvest Food Bank of NW PA.
The weekend also included a kick-off drag show at PACA the night before the parade, lesbian comedian Kristen Becker from Buffalo NY at PACA the night of the rally (presented by Equality PA) and the Lake Erie States Progressive Summit the following day (organized by Keystone Progress, with participation from Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio.)
For more about NW PA Pride Alliance, browse to www.nwpapride.org. For more about Erie Gay News, browse to www.eriegaynews.com
ZURB Wired 2015: Meet Downtown Streets Team, Downtown Streets Team is celebrating 10 years of helping the homeless transform their lives through their unique work and community beautification programs, in addition to providing assistance with housing, medical care and education. We’re going to help them by creating a brand new marketing campaign that includes a new responsive website, trifold brochure, postcard sized pamphlets for handing out on the streets, posters and some t-shirt designs.
The ZURB Wired 24-hour marathon is where our team and the team from one lucky local nonprofit get together to do something great in 24 hours. We spend the day helping the nonprofit solve a big challenge; whether it be marketing for an upcoming event, or completely overhauling their brand; and we get it all done in 24 hours.
ZURB is a close-knit team of product designers that help companies design better. www.zurb.com
Put a small white table cloth over the back of the chair, a white flour sack cloth over the seat and pulled the sheer curtain around the side and back. Got bounce and background with this impromptu setup.
Description on front of card: Crystal Cave, The Only Cave of Its Kind in the World, Put-In-Bay, Ohio, on Lake Erie
No. in Series: 210
Description on card: Put-In-Bay, Ohio. America's only Island Summer Resort in Lake Erie. Your trip to this Island is not complete without a visit to this rare view of Strontium Crystals found in this Cave. You can take a taxi or walk from the amusement district.
The limestone Crystal Cave was discovered in 1897 and can still be visited today.
No. in Series: 210
Estimated Date: 1930-1940s
Condition: Unused
Published by: E.B. Ackley, Sandusky, Ohio / Curteich-Chicago "C.T. Art-Colortone" by Curt Teich Co., Chicago, Illinois
Publisher/Distributor Notes:
Eugene B. Ackley (1871-1957) was a popular musician and bandleader in Sandusky, Ohio. Born into a musical family in Illinois, Ackley took up the cornet at 12 becoming one of the best B-flat cornetists in the country. This allowed him to travel the country with different groups. He arrived in Sandusky at age 22 and worked as the director of music at the Cedar Point amusement park and as the instructor of the Sandusky Band and Orchestra. In 1902, he wrote the "Cedar Point March," the first song dedicated to the park.
Other than music, Ackley also ran a successful billiard parlor, published postcards, and served as the chairman of the board of the Western Security Bank.
The photos and images were created by E.B. Ackley, but the cards were printed en masse by the Curt Teich Company in Chicago, Ill., under the trade name, "C.T. Art-Colortone."
Curt Teich emigrated to Chicago in 1895. He had worked as a lithographer in Lobenstein, Germany.
He founded the Curt Teich Company in 1898, concentrating on newspaper and magazine printing. He was an early publisher of postcards, but he didn't begin printing them himself until 1908.
According to MetroPostcard.com, "As his competition dwindled, his sales expanded and his American factories would eventually turn out more postcards than any other in the United States."
The company was best known for its wide range of advertising and postcards of North America. By the 1920s, it was producing so many postcards with borders that they became recognized as a type dubbed "White Border Cards," creating an "era."
Curt Teich started using offset presses in 1907, but it took a number of years before he had offset presses made to his satisfaction and many more years for him to perfect the method.
His innovations in this printing technique directly led to the production of what we now call "linens" by the early 1930s.
The company aided the war effort during the second world war by also printing many military maps.
Curt Teich eventually turned management of the company over to his son, but he remained active in company operations throughout its history.
Curt Teich died in 1974 and the family business was sold to Regensteiner Publishers who continued to print postcards at the Chicago plant until 1978 when the rights to the company name and processes were sold to the Irish company, John Hinde Ltd. Their California subsidiary now prints postcards under the name John Hinde Curteich, Inc.
Source:
“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent”
Victor Hugo
yes, she plays the piano. and, she's self-taught, too! (rolls eyes). my parents got a piano when i was in something like 5th grade, put some stickers on the keys so i could know which key was which, gave me book of music, and i played. my mom made me put on concerts for her all the time and play old country music songs by alabama & marty robbins as well as lots and lots and lots of show tunes.
i always dreamed of having my own baby grand. we got an electric upright when joe & i first got married, but it just wasn't the same. a few years ago, we were lucky enough to inherit this gorgeous antique walnut emerson from joe's aunt & uncle. so, when i need to unwind, i play.
music has been such a big part of my life. i am a fairly well-rounded artist and feel at home with many mediums, but there's something extra special about music.... from the lyrics we sing to the feelings we feel when we listen to it...music even influences my photography. sometimes i hear a song and imagine a photograph to go with it. i have a notebook full of songs i would like to photograph someday.
for the assignment this week, i knew (as ken also said with his) i didn't want to just show the piano. i wanted to show "the music". i played around with a long exposure to show motion as i played "gertrude's dream waltz" ~beethoven
So I'm hearing there is a new way for you to view my pictures large and on black on FLICKR now. Hopefully my privacy settings will allow you ;] Let me know if you figure it out, because I have no clue yet.
This week has been hectic, but tomorrow should be where it calms down some and I can put a little more effort and time into my pictures. :]
You have to click that "take me to the future" link to see the new and improved Flickr. I'm still going to put a bighugelabs link down below in case you can't figure it out.
By the way, sorry about all the sitting/laying/standing in grass pictures. I promise soon I'll be doing more traveling in for my pictures :]
P.S. I've been getting tan ;] :D
Delicious cakes at Ruth Gotlieb (Kilbirnie) Library's High Tea event, part of our Put the Kettle On series
Put this up to show the alternative camera mounting bracket for shooting in portrait mode. Made from a straight, flat bar and a T-shaped bracket from the local Homebase. Cranked to keep the lens barrel away from the nut.
The pivoting L-shaped bracket is to support the lens so I don't have to screw the camera up really tight and risk stripping the socket in the camera base. Black stuff is cut from an old mouse mat to prevent scratching.
Whilst Woody was built to take movies, the program can easily be modified to create time lapse movies. At the moment, the camera only waits long enough for any vibrations to cease and for the last shot to be stored. By modifying the program to extend the delay and allow the entry of the number of shots required, moving time-lapse videos can also be created.
The NXT can be programmed using NXT-G supplied by Lego or by a number of other languages which have been developed. It can be controlled by a program in the NXT or an external program in a computer or pda using Bluetooth. I use NXC (http://bricxcc.sourceforge.net/ or sourceforge.net/apps/phpbb/mindboards/) but the choice is yours.
You do not even have to use Lego (although I think that is the easiest way). There are several other micro-processors and stepper motors which can control a pano head. Unlike the Gigapan, etc, you decide what the pano head is going to do and how it is going to do it..
Here is a link to the latest NXC version of my progam - not all sections fully tested but it does shoot panos. dl.dropbox.com/u/4174373/Woody NXC ZZ V1-2.nxc
You can read this file in any text editor (including Notepad) but will need the free Bricx Command Center to add it to your NXT (http://bricxcc.sourceforge.net/).
Why spend over £600 on a Gigapan when you can build your own programmable pano head for less than £200? And you can change the programs to make the head do as much (or as liitle) as you want. And, unlike the Gigapan, you can dismantle it and re-use or sell most of the components.
was put on bike for over 8 hours on wednesday and put 4 photo's from the places i went i started at ackers pit at 7.50 in the morning then along towards the manchester airport along the back country lanes(where these donkey's where) to the fields at one end of the first runway then onto tatton park and a walk round the garden's and got home at 4.25
These are Basic JPEG images unedited (I did put them in lightroom for numbering) Right out of camera to create a day of slide show at the wedding. RAW files will be processed later. I mainly shoot with a 200mm F2 VRII lens to create my buttery smooth backgrounds. Usually they are shot wide open. Saturdays wedding went from 8 am to midnight so typically lugging my 200 for lack of better words kicks my butt. I loved the output of this lens. A lot of people on youtube have been saying that the 85 1.4 or tamron are better buys or bang for the buck but come on. As a professional we charge a bride to hopefully give them the best quality. I would shoot with the Zeiss lenses if they were auto focus. So for the output I received VS the cost this is a no brainer. Almost as good an output as the 200 F2 at 1/3 the cost and 1/3 the weight. I'm also not a Nikon Homer. I love the Sigma Art 50 1.4 and use to love the Sigma 35 1.4 but have had calibration issues with it lately. Need to do some fine tuning to bring it back into my shooting bag. I will, time permitting, do a real world comparison of the 105 1.4 vs the 200 f2 viii. Thanks,
the hardest part
just go
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tu wychodza brudne
nudy
tu wychodzi glupota
chudy
patrz na siebie
a nie na
innych
bo inni
maja pozaslaniane twarze
twoja egzystencja
p.s.
dowalilem!
This was taken at the foot of the Women's Memorial Statue (Forward!) at the corner of the Capitol & State Street in Madison, WI (see Map).
Shot using my Canon 28-135mm USM w/ Image Stabilizer, and a circular polarizer, hand-held.
Put on your favourite Lederhosen, grab your binoculars and let's go to the mountain to watch birds!
Strapless Lederhosen to combine with you favourite shirt.
Again, I will make lots of these when I get back, love them so much and feel they're quite quirky and original. :)
From the August 2016 return trip to Siem Reap and the Angkor complex:
I love the Angkor complex, Siem Reap, and the Cambodian people so much that I returned again for about a week to photograph as much of the “non-major” sites as I could. Some of them are slightly far from Angkor Wat (by that, I mean to say more than 10 kilometers away), and usually require a little more money to get to. Also, some of the sites (Beng Mealea, Phnom Kulen) are not included in the Angkor ticket price and have an additional admission fee.
I don’t know if there’s a set number of how many sites belong in the Angkor complex, though I’m sure it would vary. (Do you only count the major sites like Angkor Wat, Bayon, Ta Prohm? Do you add the sites that aren’t included in the standard “Angkor Pass,” but are clearly of the same era? Do you include sites that aren’t even named (as are one of the sites in this series)? All in all, I’ll put a very rough number at…50 sites in the Siem Reap area, and that includes the sites that are about 100 km away. Of those, I would say I’ve been to all but 5-10 now. All are included here with the exception, obviously, of the sites that I didn’t visit. (Off the top of my head, I can say they include Koh Ker & that respective group, which is about 120 km ENE of Siem Reap; Phnom Krom, one of the three “mountains” with temples; Ta Prohm Kel; and Mangalartha.)
In practical terms, I’m afraid that with the volume of shooting (about 1,500 frames in the past 7 days), photos will start to look redundant to those who don’t have the same interest in ancient/historical architecture or Angkor as I do. That being said, there are a few things besides temples here. The Old Market area (now Night Market/Pub Street) is represented – a little – and Phnom Kulen has a pretty nice waterfall which is also in this series. Also, I tried to catch a few people in here, though didn’t get as many as I would’ve liked.
I had my friend Mao (tuktuk driver) take me around for 5 of these 7 days this time around. As I mentioned last time, he may cost a little more than what you can arrange through a hotel/guesthouse, but he’s well worth the money (and, in the grand scheme of things, not too expensive; I paid less than $200 for the five days, two of which were “long” trips). He loves his country and heritage, he knows what he’s showing you, he’s flexible, he gives you enough ice water to keep you hydrated, and he’s just a good guy. (He even bought me a birthday cake for cryin’ out loud…) Anyway, I highly recommend Mao. You can find him here: www.facebook.com/mao.khvan (or on Trip Advisor: www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g297390-d10726821-R... )
Now that shameless plugs and other assorted rhetoric are out of the way, it’s time to get on to the temples, ruins, and other miscellany.
The fifth day (and last time I’ll see Mao unless I go back to Siem Reap again) started just the same as my birthday. Chhiengmai brought me a ham & cheese omelette at the hotel, then Mao picked me up and off we went.
Following the same route to Banteay Kdei, we took a right and headed out on the grand loop. The first stop was at Pre Rup, which I’d seen in May, but wanted to photograph again this time around. I love the May shots because it’s in afternoon light, so there are some nice silhouette shots in there. This time, however, was early morning. We didn’t shoot as extensively as we did in May; only staying on the eastern side of the temple and not ascending it. Still, it’s a rather striking temple and worth seeing, even with the restoration that looks as if it hasn’t been touched since May – and didn’t look like it was being touched then, either.
Pre Rup is on the southeast corner of the Grand Loop. From there, continue north. Right before you reach East Mebon is a road going east. (This is the road that would lead you to Banteay Samré if taken straight, or Banteay Srei, Phnom Kulen, and Kbal Spean, if you turn left at the first intersection about 1 kilometer east from here.)
Our second destination, though, was Phnom Bok. To reach here, continue east on the aforementioned road – pass Banteay Samré – taking the first left, then continuing north about 5-10 minutes. All in all, it’s about 20 minutes from the Grand Loop road.
Having seen snow-capped mountains enough in my life, I chuckle to call these mountains instead of hills. However, Angkor is in a large plain, as you can see in these pictures, so any hill looks like a mountain. In the same breath, these aren’t baby hills.
Mao’s wife and daughter stayed with the tuktuk while we went clambering up the hill. I was giving Mao a good ribbing about him not being my friend for making me climb a mountain in tropical heat, but it really wasn’t too bad. He said, “there are only 100 stairs to the top!” I laughed and said there’s no way that’s a mountain then. We walked up a hill for about five minutes before getting to the bottom of the staircase on the south side of the mountain that goes to the summit. He still insisted it was only 100 steps. I counted, just for fun. Turns out, there are 626 steps, give or take one, to the top of the hill and, even when you get to the top, you still have to climb up…a little farther.
As I mentioned, though, it wasn’t a bad climb. The first 400 or so steps are forested, so you’re in shade, though it’s hot and humid. After that, the views of the surrounding plains open up which are quite nice. Mostly, you can see to the south or southeast. I couldn’t see any of the main temples which would be southwest from here. (I couldn’t see them from the peak when looking southwest, though, either…)
At the top of Phnom Bok, there’s a little shelter/rest area where you can sit and buy ice cold drinks. There’s a new Hindu temple up there, and also the ruins of an Angkor-era temple. Sadly, there are also remnants of the Khmer Rouge era, too; machine gun mounts and the like, surrounding the temple.
After 30-45 minutes on the mountaintop, we went back down and I was glad to have a rest in the tuktuk while we made our way back to the Grand Loop. It was a good chance to rest up and enjoy the scenery (in addition to waving like a fool at every passerby as I’m wont to do).
Upon returning to the Grand Loop road, we made a quick right heading north for about 200 meters to the East Mebon. In May, we stopped here, but didn’t do anything other than climb the main stairs, take a few shots, and head off to lunch. (We were tired by that point.)
Because of that, I told Mao I wanted to take time to extensively go around the East Mebon. It’s a surprisingly nice temple mount. (I don’t know how the West Mebon compares; unlike this one, there is still water in the west baray, and I didn’t go out there.) All told, Mao and I wandered our separate ways here for about half an hour or so. I got back to the tuktuk right before one of the daily summer downpours. Mao was stuck out in the rain, but had my backpack, P&S, and umbrella, so was fine.
After a 5-10 minute rest, a Coke and a smile later, the four of us went back on our way around the Grand Loop continuing clockwise. We bypassed Ta Seo (which I’d shot well enough in May) and stopped for a very quick shoot at Prasat Krol Ko. This is a very small temple built in the late 12th and early 13th century by Jayavarman VII. It looks like many of the other temples, so most don’t stop here as it’s not terribly interesting. It’s a temple surrounded by two concentric enclosures, in the Bayon style, and rather small. However, it’s near Neak Pean and Preah Khan, so there’s no reason not to stop. This is a Hindu (I believe) temple, as it’s named/dedicated to a cow. I enjoyed it.
The next stop – Neak Pean – was less than two minutes down the road. (Again, no reason not to stop at both. Neak Pean (sometimes spelled “Neak Poan” and pronounced “neek poh-an”) is architecturally different than most of the other sites, as is the setting. Neak Pean is a cruciform arrangement of ponds that centers on a sanctuary tower on a circular island in the middle. Currently, access is limited and you can’t go all the way around it. You approach from the north over a boardwalk – this crosses over the Jayatataka baray, which offers some nice panoramic views of Phnom Bok about 5 kilometers to the east – and finally arrive at the north end of the monument. You can walk around either side to the eastern and western corners, but can go no farther. There are (were) four different sculpted animals on each of the four small ponds around the sanctuary. Eavesdropping a tour guide, he said the four ponds represent earth, air, fire, and water. I had read somewhere what the four animals were, but can’t seem to find that information now. I was very pleased with this stop, too, mainly because it offered a little variety.
After the nice stroll over the boardwalk back to the tuktuk, we continued heading west. At the turn off for Preah Khan (which I skipped this time since we spent a bit of time here in May), there are also two other nearby, rarely visited temples: Banteay Prei and Prasat Prei. These are immediately north of Preah Khan on the outside of the Loop road. Preah Khan is about 200 meters south on the inside of the loop. Neither of these two temples are listed in either LP Cambodia or my Ancient Angkor guidebook, so I unfortunately can’t tell you a thing about them, but would venture to say they were probably built by Jayavarman VII…but, that’s pure conjecture. They were both rather nice to see, and in a fair state of decomposition, so it lent to nice photography. As they are so close to Preah Khan, again…I don’t see why you wouldn’t visit here. You can see both temples in about 20 minutes without going out of your way to do so.
The next stop on today’s private tour is Krol Romeas. This is a very unassuming structure that is less than five minutes outside the North Gate of Angkor Thom. I’m a little confused about what “romeas” means. At first Mao’s wife told me it meant sheep. Then I believe she said it meant hippopotamus. Either way, this structure was an animal pen for one of those. Given the size and depth, I’ll say hippo enclosure is probably correct. Currently, it’s just a very nice setting in the forest. It’s a round enclosure about 20 meters in diameter, just east of the Grand Loop road.
After Krol Romeas, our next stops were the remaining (for me) gates of Angkor Thom: first, the North Gate for a very quick shoot, then down to Bayon and due west on a relaxing, rarely traveled road to the West Gate. The West Gate is supposed to be the one in the most pristine (unrestored) state, though I thought it looked fine. The setting was good.
By this time, it was getting to be early afternoon, probably around 4:00. The next – and last – stop of the day was south of town, away from the majority of Angkor sites. Going south from the Night Market area of Siem Reap along the river, there are two sites of interest: The main one Is the third of the “major” hills – Phnom Krom. This is supposed to be a nice place to see the sunset. However, from having climbed Phnom Bok earlier in the day, I wasn’t inclined to go here, though it was on my original “wish list” that I gave to Mao. Instead, we just went to the other temple in the area: Wat Athvea (sometimes also written Athwea). This is a very tranquil temple and is great in the late afternoon. It’s attached to a functioning monastery, but isn’t noisy. There is a pagoda built on the site of an ancient temple here. What you see here is a 12th century Hindu temple. There is a cemetery adjacent, but that’s not included in this set.
Upon finishing for the day, Mao dropped me back off at my guesthouse. This would be the last time I saw Mao on this trip, though his wife and daughter insisted on taking me to the airport on Tuesday, so I would see them one more time. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Mao’s a good man (Cambodian Mao, that is…)
As always, I hope you enjoy this set. I appreciate you taking time to look. If you have any questions, please feel free to send me a message or leave it via comment.